Dear members of the MIT community and friends,

The opportunity to return to campus this fall has been a welcome privilege and a wonderful reminder of the strength and resilience of our community. I feel grateful to walk along the corridors of campus and see them alive with students, faculty, and staff. I’m also thrilled about our return to in-person education. It is great to see our students and faculty back in the classrooms and labs and integrating technological and pedagogical advancements learned over the past year.

Hands-on learning has always been a critical component of what makes our programs special, and the return to campus reemphasizes the importance of being able to gather as a collective, allowing ideas to meld and form a rich and fertile ground for creativity, discovery, and innovation. It is with this in mind that I have compiled the following stories.

In this issue of The Infinite, you’ll meet a nuclear science professor who uses his unique brand of teaching magic to reach his students, and an alum who hopes to change the world through her small business. You’ll also discover a pet brand conceived by two alumni on a mission to drive social change; learn about a PhD student who melds brain research with artificial intelligence to make her popular YouTube videos; catch up on the latest achievements of our faculty and teaching staff; and read about an undergraduate’s experience with her summer internship. Finally, you’ll read about a student-run group looking to transform the transportation industry with faster and more sustainable modes of travel.

It fills me with a great sense of pride to see our community continue to thrive and meet the challenges of the day with resolve and determination in the hope of making a positive impact—and leaving the world a better place than they found it.

Sincerely,